he man on the anchor tried to
obey. He moved as if cautiously and slowly. "Hurry, my man!" But there
was no haste. Limbs and fingers made stiff by long exposure and cramped
position, clinging desperately to prevent himself and his burden from
falling into the sea, were not now likely to be nimble; but in a few
minutes, which, however, seemed a long time, some words were spoken by
the man on the anchor, the command to haul in was given, and slowly the
nearly-unconscious form of a young woman was drawn up to safety.

"Now, my man, your next," shouted the officer. The rope soon dangled
down again, the man reached out a hand for it. The ship cut into a big
wave, whose crest touched the man below. He grasped wildly for the rope,
missed it, and fell with a cry into the sea. Chester tried to see him as
the ship rushed on, but the commotion and the darkness prevented him.

"Man overboard! stop the ship!" came from the excited passengers. "Man
overboard!" What could be done! The man was gone. He had not one chance
in a thousand to be rescued. Had he fallen overboard without much
notice, the ship would have gone right on--Why should a world be stopped
in its even course to save one soul?--but too many had seen this. Signal
bells were rung, the engines slowed down, and then stopped. Lights
flashed here and there, other officers of higher rank came on the scene;
a boat fully manned was lowered. It bobbed up and down on the waves like
a cork. Back into the track of the ship it went, and was soon lost to
view.

The search was continued for an hour, then given up. No trace of the
man could be found. The small boat was raised to the deck, the engine
moved again, and the big ship went on its way.

Chester lingered among the steerage, passengers and listened to the
story of the lost man who, it seems, had been one of those unfortunate
ones who had failed to pass the health inspector at New York and had
therefore been sent back to his native land, Ireland. He was known as
Mike, what else, no one could tell. And the woman? Poor girl, she had
wandered in her night dress to the ship's side, and in some unknown way
had gotten overboard as far as the protruding piece of iron. How Mike
had reached her, or how long they had occupied their perilous position,
no one could tell. He was gone, and the woman was saved to her husband
and her baby.

The night was growing late; but there was no sleep for Chester. Many of
the passengers, having been